Transfer set in particular for delivering a mixture of liquids for medical purposes

ABSTRACT

A transfer set in particular for delivering a mixture of liquids for medical purposes, from a so-called flexible main bag containing a first liquid and from at least a so-called auxiliary bag containing a second liquid, connectable to the main bag through a pair of Luer-Lock connectors respectively male and female. Each of the two connectors has, at one end, a frangible section engaged in the end of a tubing connected to one of the bags and, at the other end, elements for being coupled to the other connector, provided with elements for locking the connectors in coupled position. The invention is useful for delivering liquids for medical purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates more particularly, although not exclusively, tothe administration for medical purposes of liquid substances, forexample parenterally, from an assembly of flexible pouches comprisingvarious liquid constituents to be mixed prior to administration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is often necessary in such administrations to provide first, at theadministration site, mixtures of measured quantities for example of oneor several active principles with a diluent contained in a flexiblepouch.

It is then necessary that an operator manually transfer the requiredquantities of active principles, for example with the help of a syringe,into the pouch of diluent, with all the risks of error from such amanipulation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to overcome these various drawbacks byproviding a transfer set permitting carrying out extremely variedcombinations of active principles under maximum conditions of safety,both for the patient and for the caregiver.

To this end, the invention has for its object a transfer set,particularly for the administration of a mixture of liquids for medicalpurposes, from a so-called principal flexible pouch containing a firstliquid and at least one so-called auxiliary flexible pouch containing asecond liquid, connectable to the principal pouch with the help of apair of connectors of the mating type, respectively male and female,characterized in that each of the two connectors comprises, at one end,a frangible section engaged in the end of a tube connected to one of thepouches and, at the other end, coupling means to the other connector,provided with means for blocking in coupled position said connectors.

The device of the invention has the advantage of providing assembliesfor administration that are ready to use, which is to say comprising apre-connected principal pouch for example of diluent, which is to sayconnected to a tubular connection but not in communication, to ameasured pouch or in parallel with several measured pouches of activeprinciples or nutriments, and whose communication with the diluent pouchcan be carried out in situ at any time and instantaneously by breakingthe frangible sections of the connectors of the communication to beestablished.

The pre-connection in the sense defined above is carried out in aparticularly certain manner because of the locking of the coupling ofeach pair of connectors, thereby ensuring a perfectly controlled asepsisand avoiding any cutaneous or aerial contact of the caregiver withpotentially very active substances.

Such a pre-connection can of course be carried out at any time andparticularly at the time of administration, by connecting to a principalpouch of diluent provided with one or several injection tubes inparallel each provided with a connector according to the invention, asuitably measured pouch provided with tubing having a complementaryconnector which is then coupled irreversibly to the connector of one ofsaid injection tubes.

There is thus provided, by a simple, practical and rapid manipulation,the assurance of providing mixtures matching the prescriptions, by thechoice of suitable pouch doses.

The possibility of providing pre-connections without communicationpermits packaging transfer sets that are ready to use, which can beeasily stored and handled without risk.

The locked connection between the different pouches avoids anycontamination, also during operations of trashing the pouches after use,because the assembly is eliminated without separation of the pouches.

Preferably, the pouches can be constituted by various materials suitableto the specific contents of the pouches, taking care to avoid possiblecontainer/content reactions.

The device of the invention is thus of great flexibility of use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages will become apparent from thedescription which follows, of a preferred embodiment of the transfer setof the invention, which description is given by way only of example andwith respect to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows schematically a transfer set according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show two perspective views of a male element of themating connector type according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is an axial cross-sectional view of the male element in place atthe end of a connection tube;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a female mating connector elementassociated with the male elementn of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, the female element havingundergone rotation about its axis by 90°, and

FIG. 6 is an axial cross-sectional view of the female element of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In FIG. 1 there is shown at 1 a so-called principal flexible pouchcontaining a first liquid, for example a solvent and at 2 and 3, twosmall separate pouches, called auxiliary pouches, containing for exampletwo active principles of different composition, destined to be mixedwith the solvent of pouch 1.

Each pouch 2, 3 comprises a tube, respectively 4 and 5, adapted tocommunicate with a tube respectively 6 and 7, connected to the pouch 1,via a connection of the male/female mating type 8, known per se.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b, and 3 to 6 show an embodiment of two male and femaleelements according to the invention, of such a connection.

These elements comprise a connector of the frangible male mating type 8M(FIGS. 2 a, 2 b) and a connector of the frangible female mating type 8F(FIGS. 4, 5) provided with interconnection means.

The male mating connection 8M comprises a cylindrical body 9 prolongedat one end, in known manner, by a frangible section 10 of conventionalshape, and at the other end by a cylindrical coupling collar 11 providedinternally (FIG. 3) with a screw thread 12.

The body 9 is provided with a central passage 13 terminating, on theside of the frangible section 10, in a thin bridge 14 where theseparation will take place between the section 10 and the body 9, whileat its other end, the passage 13 communicates with a coaxial tubularportion 15 that slightly projects outside the collar 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the male connection 8M is force-fitted into the endof the tube 6 for example, whose end comes into abutment against thecollar 11 which has an external diameter substantially greater than thatof the body 9 and corresponding substantially to that of said tube 6.

The female mating connector 8F comprises a cylindrical body 16 prolongedat one end and according to one characteristic of the invention, by afrangible section 17, of a type analogous to that of the male element8M.

The body 16 has a cylindrical central passage 18 terminating on the sideof the frangible section 17, adjacent a thin rupture bridge 19,analogous to bridge 14.

At its other end, the passage 18 is open and its diameter corresponds tothe external diameter of the tubular portion 15 of the male connector8M.

The female connector 8F is adapted to engage in the collar 11, thetubular portion 15 penetrating the passage 18.

Body 16 is provided externally opposite the frangible section 17, withtwo opposed screw-threaded sections 20, coacting with the screw thread12 of the collar 11, so as to couple by screwing the male and femaleconnectors 8M and 8F.

Preferably, the external wall of the tubular portion 15 is slightlyconical to ensure sealing of the connection.

The female connector 8F is engaged (FIG. 6) in the end for example ofthe tube 4, in a manner similar to that of the male connector 8M, thefrangible section 17 being within the tube 4 whose end, forcibly engagedon the body 16, comes into abutment against two diametrically opposedprojections 21 on the exterior of body 16.

The projections 21 also define, on the side turned toward the maleconnector 8M, two inclined facets 22, adapted to coact with inclinedcomplementary surfaces 23 provided circularly (FIG. 2 a) on the section24 of the collar 11, facing said facets 22.

The means 22, 23 constitute, according to the invention, a device of thesnapping type and coact so as, at the end of screwing, to constitute anon-return dog constructions preventing unscrewing of the assembledconnectors.

The two connectors 8M, 8F can be coupled at any time, for example toemplace a measured flexible pouch 2 on a pouch 1 and thereby to preparea mixture of the contents of measured pouch 2 with that of pouch 1,which mixture could be carried out ultimately at any time by simplerupture of the bridges 14 and 19 of the connectors 8M and 8F of theabutting connection 8.

The pouches 2 and 3 can of course contain dosages that are different ornot, of products that are different or not.

Preferably, the male connector 8M will be engaged in the tube (6, 7)secured to the pouch 1.

It is clear that a same principal pouch 1 can comprise several transfertubes such as 6 or 7, not connected to measured pouches 2, 3, which isto say on hold, these tubes being provided for example with a maleconnector 8M.

Any measured pouch comprising a tube such as 4, 5, provided with afemale connector 8F, can at any time be connected to the pouch 1 andplaced in communication with the latter, immediately or later.

There is thus the assurance of a suitable mixture of measuredquantities, thanks to the set of measured pouches provided according tothe invention.

It is also to be noted that a set constituted by a principal pouch 1 andone or several measured auxiliary pouches 2, 3 can thus be packaged andstored in sterile packaging, the connections 8 being in place with thefrangible sections 10, 17 of course not ruptured.

The principle of the transfer set according to the invention gives thepossibility of packaging the solvent and the active principles accordingto completely disjointed and different industrial processes.

To this end, the materials of the various pouches can be adapted to theproducts to avoid possible container/content reactions.

The connections between pouches are completely safe because of theirreversible character of the assembly of the male and female elements8M and 8F, from which results a perfectly controlled asepsis, anycutaneous or aerial contact of the caregiver with the potentially veryactive substances being avoided.

Any communication is also avoided after use, because it is the assemblyof the set which is trashed, without separation of the pouches.

The transfer set of the invention is applicable generally to theproduction of measured mixtures particularly in the field of theadministration of liquid substances for nutritional, chemotherapy,antibiotic therapy, etc., from an assembly of flexible pouchescontaining various measured substances which are to be mixed beforeadministration.

Finally, the invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment shownand described above, but on the contrary covers all the variants,particularly as to the arrangement to carry out the coupling in anirreversible manner, between the male and female connectors.

1. Transfer set particularly for the administration of a mixture ofliquids for medical purposes, comprising a pair of connectors comprisingrespectively male (8M) and female (8F) mating connectors, wherein eachof the two connectors (8M, 8F) comprises, at one end, a frangiblesection (10, 17) engaged in the end of a tube (6, 4) and, at the otherend, means (11, 12, 20) for coupling to the other connector, and means(22, 23) for blocking in coupled position said connectors (8M, 8F). 2.Transfer set according to claim 1, wherein said blocking means areconstituted by means of the non-return snap type (22–23) arranged on thetwo portions adapted to be coupled (19, 16) of the connectors (8M, 8F).3. Transfer set according to claim 1, in combination with a principalflexible pouch (1) containing a first liquid and at least one auxiliaryflexible pouch (2, 3) containing a second liquid, said connectorsinterconnecting said pouches and providing liquid communication betweensaid pouches upon breaking of said frangible sections (10, 17).